Work Product Descriptor (Artifact): Project Defined Process
This work product describes the process that a project is to follow in order to produce the project's desired results.
Purpose
The purpose of the project process is to provide guidance and support for the members of the project. "Information at your finger tips" is a metaphor that aligns well with the purpose of this work product.
Relationships
RolesResponsible: Modified By:
Input ToMandatory: Optional:
  • None
External:
  • None
Output From
Main Description

A project process typically describes or references the following items:

  • what organizational processes and policies must be adhered to.
  • what standard process, if any, is being adopted by the project.
  • any tailoring of the standard process, or deviations from policy mandates.
  • rationale for tailoring and deviations.
  • approvals for deviations.
  • which work products are reviewed at which milestones, and their level of completion.
  • guidelines and information that the project wants to use in addition to the information contained in the main. process
  • what reviews will be performed, and their level of formality.
  • what approvals are required, by whom, and when.
Properties
Optional
Planned
Illustrations
Templates
Examples
Tailoring
Impact of not having

All teams have a process, although it may be ad-hoc. A defined process helps team members understand their responsibilities and capture lessons learned. A team that follows an ad-hoc process is at risk of being confused in terms of responsibilities, may miss opportunities to learn from experience, and is at risk of violating organizational process requirements.

Reasons for not needingAn ad-hoc process may be acceptable when there are no organizational process requirements, the team members understand their responsibilities and are comfortable working without a defined process.
Representation OptionsProcesses can be captured informally in documents, formally captured in a Method Composer configuration, or specified by configuring tools. Typically a project will use a combination of these: start with a Method Composer configuration, create a document to describe variations from this configuration, and configure tools to support the process being followed.
More Information
Concepts
Guidelines